Man waives hearing in case of slain 9-year-old

Christopher Collings, one of two men charged in the Rowan Ford murder case, has been bound over for trial.

John Ford

One of the men charged in the Rowan Ford murder case has been bound over for trial.

On Friday, Christopher Collings, 32, of Wheaton, appeared before Barry County Associate Circuit Court Judge Victor W. Head, and waived his preliminary hearing on charges of first degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape, said Barry County Prosecutor Johnnie Cox.

Collings, who appeared in the courtroom with defense attorneys Clate Baker and David Back, will be back in court Jan. 22 for an arraignment, Cox said.

Ford’s stepfather, David W. Spears, 25, of Stella, faces first degree murder, forcible rape and statutory rape charges. His case is still in the Barry County Associate Circuit Court, and his next court date has not been set.

Ford, 9, was reported missing Nov. 3 from her Stella home. Authorities believe she was abducted from her home in Newton County, raped and murdered in Barry County, and her body was dumped in a sinkhole near Powell in McDonald County.

Ford’s body was found Nov. 9 after a weeklong search that involved numerous local, state and federal agencies, including the Newton County Sheriff’s Department, the McDonald County Sheriff’s Department, the Barry County Sheriff’s Department, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and a team from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Two McDonald County deputies, acting on a tip from the FBI, found the girl’s body about 15 to 20 feet underground in the cavern.

The day before, Spears led Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges to the sink hole. At one time, Spears and Collings did mechanical work for Bridges. Bridges said he saw items that made him suspicious, and alerted the FBI, who in turn alerted McDonald County.

Police said both men told authorities they raped and killed the girl.

Spears has given conflicting stories to investigators since he and Ford’s mother, Colleen Spears, reported the girl missing at 6:50 p.m. Nov. 3.

Colleen Spears arrived home from a night shift stint at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Jane shortly after 9 a.m. Nov. 3, and noticed something was amiss. Normally, on Saturday mornings, Rowan would greet her in the driveway. However, that Saturday, there was no greeting.

Spears originally told investigators he was asleep on the couch when his wife awakened him to tell him Rowan was missing. He told authorities that he told his wife Rowan may have told him she was spending the night at a friend’s home, but he didn’t remember.

The Spears spent the next few hours waiting for a phone call from Rowan. When they didn’t receive one, they began searching for the girl.